Liverpool 3-1 Spurs, Carabao Cup | Roberto De Zerbi’s verdict
Roberto De Zerbi said the players and staff were ‘suffering’ after a 3-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup at Liverpool, but feels when everything clicks, ‘we are going to win many games and score many goals’.
It might have been a different story in this third round tie at Anfield.
We started brightly again and were denied the opener when Giorgi Mamardashvili produced the first of two world-class saves on the night to deny Lucas Bergvall.
Liverpool then forged ahead via impressive finishes from Alexis Mac Allister (21 minutes) and Cody Gakpo (54) before Conor Gallagher headed home Mateus Fernandes’ corner on 69 minutes for 2-1.
That prompted our best spell, Mamardashvili kept out Mo Kudus – his first start since January – and then the Georgia international somehow managed to tip over from Omar Marmoush in what looked like a certain equaliser with four minutes remaining.
Instead of 2-2, Dominik Szoboszlai hit a screamer into the top corner from 30 yards to put the game beyond our reach at 3-1 in added time – we ended with 17 efforts at goal to Liverpool’s 12.
“We have to be stronger,” reflected Roberto. “I think last season was a school. I think it has to be a school for everyone. Now we are unlucky, because it's clear we have to improve many, many things, but also this night we played well, we created more chances, we shot more times, we got more corners than Liverpool. We could score more goals.
“I remember six, seven clear chances to score. Lucas Bergvall, Kudus and Udogie. In the second half, a couple with Marmoush, one Savio, one Bergvall, another corner. I can't say nothing today.
"Now, my focus is on Villa and we have to prepare our best in the next game with this mentality to find this click.
“We are suffering because the results are our life, no? If we lose, we are sorry, we are sad, we are disappointed, we are frustrated. It's tough, no? But it's the first moment, the first part of this new project. I think when we make the click... but the click is not mentality, because today we showed the right mentality, the right behaviour and we played until the end of the game. I think we are going to win many games and score many goals.”